A control apparatus and a method for operating the control apparatus for an industrial robot in which the robot is capable of performing numerous different tasks without requiring reprogramming, and in which programs can easily be corrected to compensate for changes in the workpiece being handled. The control apparatus includes a programming unit and a robot control unit. Each industrial robot is provided with its own robot control unit, while a single programming unit is shared among plural robot control units. The programming unit is detachably coupled to the robot control unit through a communication cable. The programming unit includes an arithmetic processor, one or more memories, an inputting device and a display, and the robot control unit includes plural program memories for storing plural programs communicated to the robot con. trol unit from the programming unit, an operation control unit for carrying out operations of the robot in accordance with a selected program read from a selected program memory and a mode setting circuit for selecting between a mode of receiving and storing programs and continuous operation mode. Data contained in the operating programs can easily be changed to compensate for a change in the workpiece being handled by an editing process carried out in the programming unit.